Culture / Film

A new type of burn book presents itself in the ‘Mean Girls’-inspired film, ‘Moxie’

Moxie film

Amy Poehler is no stranger to playing the 'cool mum' role. While we might have thought she couldn't get any chicer than Mrs. George, Poehler is about to prove us wrong; with the release of her latest film, Moxie.

Based on the novel of the same name by Jennifer Mathieu, Moxie follows the story of former teen punk (Poehler) and her now teenage daughter Vivian – played by Little Women's Hadley Johnson – who attends a local high school where toxic masculinity reigns supreme. The trailer sets the scene by introducing the school's annual 'ranking' system, where popular boys keep a detailed record of every girl in the school based on metrics such as "best ass" and "most bang-able."

Watch the trailer below:

As the story unfolds and students begin to report their experiences, it becomes clear that the faculty seems either unequipped or unwilling to deal with claims of harassment. Inspired by her mother's rebellious Riot Grrl days, Vivian realises its time to bring the unchecked behaviour of her fellow peers into the light. Anonymously releasing the underground zine called Moxie to expose the bias and wrongdoing in her high school, Vivian simultaneously inspires a movement among the students.

Before long, Vivian, once a shy and 'under-the-radar' kind of girl begins to forge new friendships with other young women and allies, reaching across the divide of cliques and clubs as they learn to navigate the highs and lows of high school together.

Although Moxie certainly has much more of a punk-rock edge, there are definitely a few key similarities between it and Poehler's 2004 film Mean Girls. Tina Fey, a long-term collaborator of Poehler has written the film, and we can't deny the underlying message of 'teenage underdogs looking to upend the social hierarchy' that runs through both films.

As with all major films these days, Moxie will be available to watch on Netflix on March 3. So, you can definitely count us in for a Poehler and Fey-themed movie night.

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